Arch-vile
The demonic pyromancer, the Arch-vile is the weakest of Black Magic Arcanists and one of the more intimidating enemies you will come to face in Hunter's Moon. Tactics and Behavior The Arch-vile may not appear too dangerous at the first glance, of relatively small stature and moving slowly (only walking, slightly hunched). At distance, he is easy to mistake for an Imp. However, do not let that impression fool you. In Hunter's Moon, the Arch-vile cannot resurrect or summon monsters as in Doom games, but can still hurt you really badly with his fiery spells (and inside melee range, he will attempt to claw your eyes out, so better stay away). The first one is a fire crawler: a "carpet" of fire rapidly approaching your position. This attack is moderately powerful and has almost no wind-up time, so at the shorter distances dodging it may pose a problem. The second spell is way worse: the Arch-vile conjures a pyrokinesis burst, indicated by a pentagram-beacon that appears under your feet. This attack takes about two seconds to complete, and if it connects, it will wreck your health. As the one of the nastiest enemy attacks, the damage from pyrokinesis is often fatal, so dodge it at any cost. For that, when battling an Arch-vile you will need to take heed of the aforementioned pentagram sigil, which will continue to track your movement. In addition, you will hear a demonic whisper whenever an Arch-vile acquires a "lock-on" on you. The flames always erupt in the pentagram's place, but losing its "lock-on" is not easy, as the only way is breaking the Arch-vile's line of sight on you - even killing him first will not stop the pentagram from exploding. You will have to take haste and conceal yourself behind the nearest wall or other solid object. However, keep in mind that merely moving out from the Arch-vile's sight is not going to be enough to avoid the pyrokinesis burst, as the pentagram will continue to follow you a little while even after taking cover from the Arch-vile, plus its splash damage extends a bit beoynd the pentagram itself - so do not stop moving until you are clearly away from the pentagram! Getting rid of the Arch-vile himself is not easy, as he possesses an uncanny amount of endurance for his small frame. Coupled with his offensive power, you will need one of your bigger guns to prevent him from turning you into a barbecue. If you are luckly to spot an Arch-vile at distance, the Railgun will suffice, or you may resort to the Rocket Launcher. If this is a close encounter, give the Arch-vile a shock therapy courtesy of Lightning Gun, or give your Chaingun a spin - either gun should slay your foe quickly enough to spare you his pyrokinetic shenanigans. Other good options include the Plasma Gun, the Shotgun (some use of cover may be required), the Grenade Launcher (for this gun, cover is required), or the Nailgun. Vehicle Tactics Inside a vehicle, the Arch-vile is no longer as fearsome, as the vehicle armor will shield you from his fire attacks. Still, you better take care of him quickly, as he never is an ignorable threat, even if he is slow. Blast the Arch-vile with your main cannon and his spellcasting career will be over. Category:Enemies Category:Demons